‘Simpsons’ episode referencing China’s ‘forced labor camps’ removed in Hong Kong by Disney
An episode from “The Simpsons” has been banned in Hong Kong due to its reference to labor camps in China.
The episode, titled “One Angry Lisa,” included a line referencing China’s “forced labor camps.”
In the episode, which first aired in October last year, Marge Simpson is shown images of China’s Great Wall during an indoor cycling class by her instructor.
“Behold the wonders of China. Bitcoin mines, forced labor camps where children make smartphones,” the instructor says during the scene.
The episode was omitted from the Disney Plus streaming platform in Hong Kong, reported the Financial Times.
It is not known whether the Chinese government approached Disney to remove the episode or if Disney acted alone out of concern for its business.
Although China has since denied allegations of forced labor occurring in the nation, western governments and rights groups have long accused the Chinese state of cultural genocide against the Uyghur Muslim population and human rights abuses in Chinese detainment camps in the Xinjiang region.
It is not the first time under China’s strict censorship system that a film or show has been altered or rejected.
Disney previously faced scrutiny for removing another episode from “The Simpsons” that referenced the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. The episode from Season 16 of the show was banned on Disney Plus in Hong Kong in November 2021.
The bans occurred after China passed the controversial national security law in June 2020, which prohibits “sedition, secession and subversion” against Beijing.
Controversial themes and taboo subjects, such as graphic sex, violence and LGBTQ storylines, are also censored in the country.
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